Laird Hamilton And Gabby Reece Test Pebble Beach's Watson-Powered App

IBM announced a partnership Tuesday with the Pebble Beach Company that includes a Watson-powered app to serve as a tour guide of the historic golf property.

To test the product, IBM and Pebble Beach picked a notably active couple, Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece, and the surfing and volleyball legends put the app through the paces.

"This is like literally having the most local person show up and you go, 'Hey I'm starving,'" Reece says. "And it goes, 'Hey, what do you want? Do you want to sit down or do you want to take it to go? If you go to that place, try this special.'

"You can get so much down so efficiently. Laird always jokes about technology kind of being a heavy time-suck. This is one of the ways I really see technology affecting your life. We did so much in one day and it wasn't a struggle."

The app includes a virtual concierge, a resort guide, a timeline of daily events and an alerts and notification feature. It covers the company's various attractions, including Pebble Beach Resorts and four golf courses (Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay, Del Monte). Guests can also create a 60-second video story of their resort experience.

Perhaps the most interesting part is Watson's knowledge of 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach's iconic path along the California coast. Watson offers an express tour for guests who want the highlights of the area in a shorter time frame.

"I was taken out as navigator," Hamilton says of the drive. "I was taken over by an app."

According to IBM program manager John Kent, up to 1.5 million guests visit 17-Mile Drive without engaging with the Pebble Beach Company. Watson plans on changing that.

Apps can do almost anything anywhere today, but they still have to be cautious around water. Although Hamilton and Reece could not actually take Watson into the ocean and had to be careful on the sand, the app could send them in the right direction.

"I paddled and Gabby and I peppered on the sand," Hamilton says.

"It was directive of maybe not sports-specific, but location," Reece adds. "We went to Stillwater Cove, which is a gorgeous place with a pier, which is very clear."

"It definitely leads you to these different beaches and different locations along that," Hamilton says.

Finding a place for you to get an after-round dinner and drink at Pebble Beach, which will host the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship and 2019 U.S. Open, is one of Watson's newest skills. But what about the golf? Watson is not necessarily programmed for the courses, but it can still be a useful guide.

"If you want to know things about certain places on the course, the app can provide nice little details for your understanding of the place and the experience," Reece says.

But as impressive as Watson might be, it has its limits.

"It will not make you play better," Hamilton says, laughing. "Can you hit this ball for me, Watson?"